Packaging machine and method

ABSTRACT

The packaging machine includes: a plurality of lane guides, the plurality of lane guides being spaced apart to form a plurality of lanes; a moveable conveyor belt having a first end and second end, the first end located beneath one of the plurality of lanes, the movable conveyor belt delivers the product to each of the plurality of lanes; a support device located at the plurality of lanes; and a shifting assembly attached to the plurality of lane guides. The method for packaging a case with a product includes: conveying a first plurality of the product to a first lane; supporting the first plurality of the product within the first lane; conveying a second plurality of the product to a second lane; shifting the first lane and the second lane in a first direction; and dropping the first plurality of the products into the case.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a divisional application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/095,427 which is a divisional application ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/005,457, filed Nov. 2, 2001, whichclaims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/245,889filed Nov. 3, 2000, which is incorporated in its entirety herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Automated packaging devices are often used in high volume productionfacilities to prepare products for sale and shipment. One commonautomated packing device is a packaging machine, which divides up theproduct and drops it into a box or case. The packaging machine typicallyconsist of five sections; a product infeed section, a case feed section,a lift table section, a grid table section and an operator interfacesection.

The product infeed section of the packaging machine includes a conveyorbelt that transfers the product from an up stream process such asfilling or labeling, in a serial fashion. The conveyor belt urges theproduct into grid lanes that align the product into a plurality of rows.Distribution of the product between the grid lanes is accomplished usingthe force of the conveyor belt and the force created between theindividual product items to distribute the product between fixed,stainless steel lane guides. As the product passes between the laneguides, it rests on support strips positioned below the product. At theend of each grid lane is a separation bar, which stops the first productto enter the grid lane. The product is monitored using electronicsensors as it is fed into a grid lane. When the grid lane is filled withthe desired amount of product, a brake is applied to stop the serialflow of product in the conveyor belt and, thereby, prevent furtherproduct from entering the lane guides.

While the infeed section fills the grid with product, the case feedsection delivers empty boxes or cases onto the lift table via aconveyor. The lift table section lifts the cases to a point beneath thegrid lanes and waits for product to enter the case before descending.The lift table section is equipped with an air or oil lift table thatprompts the up and down motion of the table. As the grid area is filledwith product the lift table rises. Once the product is placed in thecase, the lift table lowers. The case feed section then discharges thefilled case, and an empty case enters the lift table. The operation willthen repeat, depending on the number of products in the infeed section.

The grid section is responsible for releasing the product into the emptycases on the lift table. The grid section accomplishes the release ofthe product using two primary components: the support strip on which theproduct rests as it enters the grid area, and a grid basket, whichguides the product into the case. Once the grid lanes are filled withproduct, the support strips are shifted to the side allowing the productto fall through the grid basket into the case or box. The support stripsare then returned to their original position and the link brake isreleased allowing subsequent product to be moved from the product infeedinto the grid.

An operator interface section controls the system and allows theoperator to manage the operation of the machine. Typically, theinterface is mounted on a swing boom that enables the operator tocontrol the machine from either side to facilitate viewing of theprocess. This interface consists of a series of pushbuttons, whichenable the operator to start, stop, or alter the performance of themachine, and locate/correct any fault conditions.

As discussed above, the line brake is applied to the infeed conveyor toprevent over filling of the lanes. The application of the brake causesthe upstream product to compress together. This compression of theproduct is known as “line pressure”. Also, as discussed above, theproduct infeed section divides the product into grid lanes using theforce of the conveyor belt and the force created between individualproduct items. As the product is forced into the grid lanes, the firstproduct to enter the grid lane is forced against the separation bar, andthe subsequent products are forced against the first product and againsteach other. This pressure between the products in the grid lane is knownas “wind up”. Despite that line pressure and wind-up cause problems inthe packaging operation, they are often used to help move the product into the grid lanes. Therefore, there is a delicate balance that must beachieved to use line pressure and wind-up without causing problems inthe process.

Line pressure results in two main problems in the packaging operation.The first depends on the product being packaged. If the product is madeof a glass or plastic oval shape base that has a thinner wall towardsthe front and back of the base and a thicker wall in the center of thebase, excess line pressure may cause the product to break or deformcausing delays in the operation as the damaged product is removed andthe line is cleared. The second problem occurs with products havingirregularly shaped containers (i.e. containers not shaped as a cylinderor parallel-piped). Because the containers are irregularly shaped,contact of containers against each other may cause tipping of adjacentcontainers resulting in interlocking, tipping, or mispackaging of theproduct, which again causes delays. To overcome the problems associatedwith packaging irregularly shaped products, prior art devices usedadditional devices such as an inflatable membrane to hold the productand prevent it from tipping.

Wind-up tends to cause problems in the packaging lanes. Most cases haveproduct dividers or partitions that protect the product during shipment.Since the product within the lane is in a wound-up state, a gap must becreated between the products before they pass into the case. Prior artpackaging machines used a separation bar located on the end of the laneto release the wind-up. Once the lane is filled, the separation barmoves away from the row of product, releasing the wind-up.Unfortunately, this technique does not always work well with irregularlyshaped products since the wind-up may cause the products to interlock ortip within the grid lanes.

Accordingly, it is considered to be advantageous to have a packagingmachine with an infeed section that is able to deliver product into thegrid lanes without the problems associated with line pressure orwind-up. It is also advantageous to have a packaging machine capable ofcontinuously filling grid lanes without the use of a line brake. It isalso considered advantageous to have a packaging machine capable ofcontinuously filling grid lanes where the products are packaged on afirst-in, first-out basis. It is also considered advantageous to providea packaging machine capable of continuously packaging cases containingvariety packs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other drawbacks or deficiencies are overcome by an apparatusand a method for packaging a case with products. The packaging machineincludes: a plurality of lane guides, the plurality of lane guides beingspaced apart to form a plurality of lanes; a moveable conveyor belthaving a first end and second end, the first end located beneath one ofthe plurality of lanes, the movable conveyor belt delivers the productto each of the plurality of lanes; a support device located at theplurality of lanes; and a shifting assembly attached to the plurality oflane guides. The method for packaging a case with a product includes:conveying a first plurality of the product to a first lane; supportingthe first plurality of the product within the first lane; conveying asecond plurality of the product to a second lane; shifting the firstlane and the second lane in a first direction; and dropping the firstplurality of the products into the case.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with reference to the followingdescription, claims and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side plan view of a packaging machine in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 2A is a top perspective view of the product infeed and gridsections of the packaging machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2B is a top plan view illustrating an alternate embodiment infeedsection of FIG. 2A utilizing side belts;

FIG. 2C is a top plan view illustrating an alternate infeed section ofFIG. 2A utilizing a timing screw;

FIG. 2D is a partial plan view of an alternate embodiment the gridsection of FIG. 2A utilizing inflatable bladders;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view, partially in section, illustrating a gridlane having a shock absorber;

FIG. 4 is an end plan view of the grid section of FIG. 2A with thesecond lane being filled with product;

FIG. 5 is an end plan view of the grid section of FIG. 2A with thesecond lane being filled with product;

FIG. 6 is an end plan view of the grid section of FIG. 2A with the thirdlane being filled with product;

FIG. 7 is an end plan view of the grid section of FIG. 2A with thefourth lane being filled with product;

FIG. 8 is an end plan view of the grid section of FIG. 2A with the fifthlane being filled with product;

FIG. 9 is an end plan view of the grid section of FIG. 2A with productfrom lanes one through four being dropped into the case;

FIG. 10 is an end plan view of the grid section of FIG. 2A with thefifth lane being filled with product;

FIG. 11 is an end plan view of the grid section of FIG. 2A with thefourth lane being filled with product;

FIG. 12 is a top perspective view of the grid section shown in FIG. 2Abeing used to package variety packs;

FIG. 13 is a top perspective view of the grid section shown in FIG. 2A;and

FIG. 14 is a side plan view of an alternate embodiment grid section forfilling multiple cases simultaneously.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A product must go through a number of steps to transform the rawmaterial into a useful product. These steps can be numerous, includingthe mixing and processing of the raw material to create the baseproduct, filling containers with the base product and labeling thecontainer to create the final product. Usually one of the last stepsbefore shipment to a customer is the packaging of the final product(hereafter referred to as the product) into conveniently sized case orbox that will hold and protect the product during shipment. In highvolume facilities, the process of filling cases with product is usuallyautomated to reduce manufacturing cost.

Referring to FIG. 1, an automated packaging machine 20 is shown. Thepackaging machine 20 has a product infeed section 22 located at one endfor receiving products from an upstream processing station (not shown).A product (not shown) will flow along the infeed section 22 in thedirection indicated by arrow 24 to a grid section 26. While the gridsection 26 is being filled with the product, a case feed section 28 willopen an empty case (not shown) using an opener 30. Once opened, aconveyor 32 delivers the empty cases to a lift table 34, which raisesthe case up under the grid 26. When the grid section 26 is filled withthe appropriate amount of product, the product descends through a gridbasket 36 into the case. The full case is lowered and removed by aconveyor (not shown) for further downstream processing and shipping. Theprocess is now ready to repeat with the grid section 26 filling withproduct and an empty case being positioned to receive product. Theoperation of the packaging machine 20 is controlled from an operatorinterface 38, which may include a controller 39, mounted to a movableboom 40. Controller 39 may be programmed to control the operation of thepackaging machine 20.

The product infeed section 22 is best seen in FIG. 2A. A first conveyor50 receives the product (not shown) in a serial fashion from an upstreamstation (not shown). A pair of flex guides 52 and 54 supports and guidesthe product as the conveyor 50 moves the product along the firstconveyor 50. The first conveyor 50 is connected to a second conveyor 56so that the product moves from the first conveyor 50 to the secondconveyor 56.

The second conveyor 56 extends from the first conveyor 50 to an endsection 58 of the second conveyor 56, which is located at the gridsection 26. The end section 58 is coupled to a gear assembly 60, whichis driven by a motor 62. The motor 62 may be a servo motor, a start/stopelectric motor, or even air cylinders. The second conveyor 56 has a pairof pivots 70 and 72, which allow the end section 58 to move laterallyalong gear assembly 60 while still remaining parallel to a plurality ofgrid lanes 80, 82, 84, 86, and 88. An additional motor (not shown),which may be a servo motor, a start/stop electric motor, or even aircylinders, drives a belt 90 of the second conveyor 56. The motor 62 andthe additional motor (not shown) may be coupled to their respectiveassemblies by clutches (not shown), which allow the operator todisconnect the motors in the event of a jam or dislodged product. Inaddition, the motor 62 and the additional motor (not shown) may be inelectronic communication with the controller 39 (see FIG. 1).

The second conveyor 56 has a pair of sensors 92 and 94, which aremounted to the gear assembly 60. The sensor 92 is used to count thenumber of products entering the grid lanes 80, 82, 84, 86, and 88. Thisallows the packaging machine 20 to determine when a grid lane is filledwith product. The sensor 94 may be used as a back up for the sensor 92.

The grid section 26 includes the grid lanes 80, 82, 84, 86, and 88,which are formed between a plurality of parallel, spaced apart plates(lane guides) 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, and 112. Second conveyor 56 ispositioned so that the end section 58 extends under and to an end 114 ofthe grid lane 80. A series of support devices, which are illustrated asstationary support strips 120, 122, 124, 126, and 128, are positionedunder and parallel to the grid lanes 80, 82, 84, 86, and 88 and thesecond conveyor 56. Located adjacent to and at the end of each grid lane80, 82, 84, 86, and 88 is a shock absorbing device 130 (shown on FIG.3).

Each of the lane guides 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, and 112 that make upthe grid lanes 80, 82, 84, 86, and 88 are mounted to a gear assembly132. The gear assembly 132 is driven by a motor 134, which may be aservo motor, a start/stop electric motor, or even air cylinders. Themotor 134 is mounted to a packaging machine frame 136. As will bedescribed in more detail herein, the motor 134 drives the gear assembly132 which moves the lane guides 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, and 112 in adirection perpendicular to the support strips 120, 122, 124, 126, and128 as indicated by an arrow 138. The motor 134 may be in electroniccommunication with the controller 39 (see FIG. 1).

In the exemplary embodiment, the lane guides 102, 104, 106, 108, 110,and 112 and support strips 120, 122, 124, 126, and 128 are laterallyadjustable. This allows the packaging machine 20 to be reconfigured fordifferent products by adjusting the lateral distance between adjacentlane guides. Alternatively, to simplify the assembly, nonadjustable laneguides 120, 122, 124, 126, and 128 may be removably mounted to the gearassembly 132. In this alternate embodiment, different sets of laneguides would be utilized for different sized products.

In an alternate embodiment, shown in FIG. 2B, the product infeed section22 also includes a spacing mechanism that spaces the product as it movesthrough the spacing mechanism. In an exemplary embodiment, the spacingmechanism includes a side belt assembly 140 located upstream from theconveyor 50. The side belt assembly 140 consists of at least two pairsof belts 142 and 144. Each belt pair 142 and 144 is spaced apart toallow the product (not shown) to pass in between while still maintainingcontact with the sides of the product. A motor (not shown) drives thebelts 142 and 144 in the direction indicated by arrows 146 and 148. Asthe product (not shown) travels through the center of each pair of belts142 and 144, the product will contact the belts 142 and 144 and willmove forward at the same speed as the belts 142 and 144. By rotating thebelt 144 at a faster rate than the belt 142, the spacing between theproducts may be altered. The significance of this spacing for properpackaging will be made clearer herein. As the product exits belts 144,the product is transferred to the conveyor 50.

Another alternate embodiment of the spacing mechanism is shown in FIG.2C. In this embodiment, a timing screw 150 is utilized. The screw 150,similar to a worm gear, provides a number of threads 152 which pickupthe product (not shown) from the upstream process (not shown) andadvances it downstream in the direction of arrow 154. Since the screw150 has a variable pitch, i.e. a gap 156 between a front surface 158 ofadjacent threads 152 increases along the length of the screw 150. Thisincreasing gap 156 also increases the distance between adjacentproducts. Such that as the product leaves the screw 150 and istransferred to the conveyor 50 at the appropriate spacing for packaging.

An alternate embodiment of the support devices of the grid section 26 isillustrated in FIG. 2D. The support devices may be any type of supportdevice that holds the product as the second conveyor 56 moves to eachlane and fills each lane. The support device is employed to hold theproduct until the appropriate number of lanes is filled. Once theappropriate number of lanes is filled, the support device is removed andthe product in the lanes descends to the case feed section 28 locatedbeneath the grid section 26.

In an alternate embodiment, bladder pairs 160 and 162 eliminate the needfor the support strips 120, 122, 124, 126, and 128 and for the shockabsorbing device 130, both illustrated in FIG. 2A. FIG. 2D is only apartial view of the grid section 26. Thus, while only bladder pairs 160and 162 are illustrated, the bladder pairs would replace each supportstrip for each grid lane illustrated in FIG. 2A.

Each bladder pair 160 and 162 is associated with a particular grid lane84 and 86 respectively. Grid lane 84, which includes lane guides 106 and108, is illustrated with bladder pair 160. One of each bladder pair 160is attached to lane guide 106 and 108. Grid lane 86, which includes laneguides 108 and 110, is illustrated with bladder pair 162. One of eachbladder pair 162 is attached to lane guides 108 and 110. Each of thebladder pairs 160 and 162 are attached at a valve 164, which isconnected to an air supply 166. Air supply 166 provides air throughvalve 164 to bladder pair 160 and 162.

As the conveyor 56 fills a lane with a product 170, valve 164 opens andsupplies air to the bladder pair associated with the grid lane. Lane 84illustrates bladder pair 160 inflated with air and shows bladder pair160 surrounding the product 170. When bladder pair 160 is inflated withair, bladder pair 160 stops the forward motion of the product 170 andholds the product 170 in place. Lane 86 illustrates bladder pair 162deflated and the product 170 moving in a forward motion.

Referring to FIG. 3, the shock absorbing device 130 is illustrated. Theshock absorbing device 30 includes a plunger 180 connected to a chamber182, which is connected to air valves 184 and 186.

Operation of the packing machine 20 can be described with reference withFIGS. 3-12. First referring to FIGS. 3-5, as the second conveyor 56continuously moves the product 170 at a constant speed into the lane 82,the first sensor 92 counts the product 170. The products 170 are eachspeed at a distance equal to a gap 172. The products 170 move into thelane until the first product 170 contacts the shock absorbing device130. To prevent tipping of the product 170 as it slowed to a stop, thefirst product 170 in the lane 82 contacts the plunger 180 resulting inthe displacement of air from the chamber 182 through the valve 186.

The number of products 170 allowed in a given lane depends on the sizeof the case being packaged. In the exemplary embodiment, the case iscapable of holding sixteen containers of the product 170 (4×4 grid) (seeFIG. 12). When the appropriate number of products 170 (i.e. fourproducts 170) has entered the lane 88, the motor 62 (see FIG. 2A)energizes, shifting the end section 58 from under the lane 88 to thelane 86 as shown in FIG. 5. As the end section 58 is shifted, theproduct 170 in lane 86 contacts the lane guide 110. Since the lane guideis stationary at this point, the product 170 in lane 88 slides off theend section 58 and onto the support strip 128.

Referring now to FIGS. 4, 5, and 12, the speed of the second conveyor 56is adjusted so that the total time for the end section 58 to shift fromlane 88 to 86 is less than the time it takes for conveyor 56 to move theproduct 170 the distance equal to the gap 172. This allows the lanes 88,86, 84, 82, and 80 to be filled continuously using a constant conveyorspeed and without the need for a brake used by prior art packagingmachines. The elimination of the brake also eliminates the problemsassociated with line pressure. In addition, it will be recognized thatthe timing of the movement of the end section 58 from lane 88 to lane 86will maintain the gap 172 between the products 170 within lane 86. Inother words, the timing of the movement of end section 58 will eliminatewind-up within the lanes.

Referring to FIGS. 5-9 the filling of lanes 86, 84, and 82 will continueas described above and shown in FIGS. 5-7, with the lane guides 104,106, and 108 retaining the products 170 in their respective lanes 82,84, and 86 and resting on the associated support strips 122, 124, and126. After the last product 170 enters lane 82, the end section 58 willonce again shift to the next lane 80. The case 190 of the exemplaryembodiment is capable of holding four rows of product 170. As shown inFIG. 9 there is enough product 170 in lanes 82, 84, 86, and 88 to fillthe case 190 located on the lift table 34 directly below the supportstrips 122, 124, 126, and 128.

Referring to FIG. 9, as the product 170 is being loaded into the sparelane 80, the end section 58 and the lane guides 102, 104, 106, 108, 110,and 112 all shift simultaneously causing the lane guides 104, 106, 108,110, and 112 to move the products 170 off their respective supportstrips 122, 124, 126, and 128. This allows the products 170 in lanes 82,84, 86, and 88 to fall between the support strips 122, 124, 126, and 128and into the case 190 on the lift table 34 (see FIG. 1). Because endsection 58 is still located under lane 80, product 170 and lane 80 doesnot descend into case 190. The lane 80 continues to be filled withadditional product 170 while the products 170 in lanes 82, 84, 86, and88 descend into the case 190.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 10, once the products 170 have fallen in to thecase 190 the lane guides 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, and 112 shiftsimultaneous back to the original position and the lane 80 rests overthe support strip 120. In the empty lanes 82, 84, 86, and 88, theplungers 180 are reset to the extended position by closing valve 186 andopening valve 184 allowing compressed air 185 to be injected into thechamber 63. The injection of air forces the plunger 61 to the extendedposition. The lift table 34 lowers the now full case 190 down to thecase feed section 28 (shown in FIG. 1) where the full case 190 isautomatically removed from the packaging machine 20 for furtherdownstream processing. A new empty case 190 is opened by the case feedsection 28 (shown in FIG. 1) and loaded on to the lift table 34 (shownin FIG. 1) ready to receive product.

Referring to FIG. 11, once the appropriate number of products has beenplaced in grid lane 80, the process repeats itself in reverse. Theconveyor shifts to lane 82 with the lane guide forcing the product inlane 80 to slide off and fall into support strip 120. The remaininglanes 82, 84, and 86 will be filled in the manner described above, withthe spare lane for this cycle being lane 88. Thus, the process describedallows for a continuous packaging of products 170 without the use of aline brake to stop the flow of products 170.

This continuous process also provides additional benefits. Unlike thehopper type arrangement of the prior art, the serial loading of product170 described herein assures that the product 170 will be packaged intothe case 190 on a first-in, first-out basis. Additionally, since theproduct 170 is continuously fed sequentially in to the grid lanes, asshown in FIGS. 4-12, it is possible to create a so called “variety pack”where different varieties of the product 170 are packaged into the samecase 190. In this embodiment, it is desired to package differentproducts 170A, 170B, 170C, and 170D together in case 190. Since the feedsequence of the product 170A, 170B, 170C, and 170D is maintained, thecase 190 will always contain an equal number (i.e. four) of each varietyof the product 170.

Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2D, the lanes 80, 82, 84, 86, and 88 arefilled with the product 170 as described herein above. In thisembodiment, once the lane 84 is filled with the product 170, the endsection 58 starts to shift to lane 86. To prevent the product 170 fromfalling, high pressure air from supply line 166 is injected through thevalves 164 to inflate the bladder pair 160. Once inflated, the bladderpair 160 securely holds the product 170 in place and prevents it fromdescending into the case (not shown) below.

As with the exemplary embodiment, when the end section 58 shifts to fillthe spare lane 88, all the lanes 80, 82, 84, 86, and 88 shift toposition the product 170 in lanes 80, 82, 84, 86, and 88 over the case(not shown). Once positioned, the air in the bladder pairs 160, 162 (andother bladder pairs not shown for the lanes 80 and 82) is removedthrough valve 164 allowing the bladder pairs to deflate, freeing theproduct 90 to descend into the case (not shown) below. The process thenreverses itself and proceeds in the continuous manner described hereinabove. The use of the bladder pair to secure the products isadvantageous when the product 170 is easily damaged and contact with thelane guides or the shock absorbing device is undesirable. The bladderpairs will also help align oval or non-circular products.

Referring to FIG. 13, while the product moves on the conveyor 56, theproduct 170 is supported by a pair of flex guides 52 and 54. The flexguides 52 and 44 are made from a flexible plastic strip and can bend andmove as the conveyor 56 pivots from one lane to the next. A pair offlex-supports 202 supports the lane guides 52 and 54. These supports 202typically have a bracket 204 mounted adjacent to, and movable with theconveyor 56. The bracket 204 has a collar 206 on one end that receives athreaded rod 208. The rod 208 is attached at one end to the flex guides52, and 54. The use of the threaded rod 208 and collar 206 allows adistance 210 between the flex guides 52 and 54 to be changed toaccommodate different size products 170.

As described herein above, in the exemplary embodiment, the lane guides102, 104, 106, 108, 110, and 112 are also adjustable to accommodatedifferent size products 170. Alternately, the lane guides may be fixedrelative to each other and mounted for easy removal and replacement toaccommodate the different sizes of products 170.

It should be appreciated that this method of packaging products can beapplied to any configuration grid. The exemplary embodiment illustratesa four-lane grid with four products per lane (4×4 grid). This method canbe scaled up or down to meet the packaging size requirements of theproduct. The frame 136 (FIG. 2A) is adapted to receive additional lanesas needed by the operator. This gives the operator more flexibility andversatility in their use of the packing machine 20.

Referring to FIG. 14, an alternate embodiment grid section 26 is shown.In this example, two cases 212 and 214 are simultaneously packaged. Toaccomplish this, the grid components such as the end section 58, alllane guides (lane guide 112 is shown) and support strips (support strip128 is shown) are extended to-match the combine length of cases 214 and216. The case feed section 28 and lift table 34 are modified to load twocases 214 and 216 in series. Once this is done, the process continues asdescribed herein above. The end section 58 loads the products 170 intothe lane 88, the conveyor shifts to the next lane causing the products170 to fall on the support strip 128. Once all four lanes are filled,the lane guides shift causing the products 170 in the front section 220of the end section 58 will fall and be packaged in case 214 while thosein the rear section 222 will fall and be packaged in case 212.

In an alternative exemplary embodiment, it should also be appreciated,that some products 170 can withstand some line pressure and that thespare lane can be eliminated from the machine. In that embodiment, theproduct 170 fills the number of lanes that correspond to the number oflanes needed to fill the case located below the grid section 26. Thesecond conveyor 56 is then stopped while the lane guides 102, 104, 106,108, 110, and 112 all shift simultaneously causing the lane guides 104,106, 108, 110, and 112 to move the products 170 off their respectiveriding strips 122, 124, 126, and 128. This allows the products 170 inlanes 80, 82, 84, 86, and 88 to fall between the support strips 120,122, 124, 126, and 128 and into the case 190 on the lift table 34 (seeFIG. 1). Instead of the second conveyor 56 being located under the sparelane, second conveyor 56 is moved out from under each of the lanesfilled with the product so that the product can descend into the case.The product 170 builds up some line pressure on the second conveyor 56while the product 170 moves into the case.

The packaging machine 20 allows the line pressure to be controlled sothat there may be some line pressure, if there is no spacing mechanismand no spare lane. In addition, the packaging machine 20 may be utilizedwith no line pressure, if the spacing mechanism is employed and/or thespare lane is employed. The packaging machine 20 allows the product 170to be filled continuously using a constant conveyor speed and withoutthe need for the brake used by prior art packaging machines. Inaddition, the packaging machine 20 may maintain the predetermined gap172 between the products 170 within each lane, which will eliminate thewind-up within the lanes. Because line pressure and wind-up can becontrolled so that line pressure and wind-up are minimized oreliminated, the drawbacks and deficiencies caused by line pressure andwind-up have also been eliminated. For example, the packaging machine 20allows the packaging of irregularly shaped product container whileeliminating the interlocking, tipping or mispackaging or the productcaused by line pressure and wind-up. Additional benefits are also gainedby continuously maintaining the feed sequence of product, including thepackaging of variety packs and first-in, first-out basis packaging.

While preferred embodiments have been shown and described, variousmodifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to beunderstood that the present invention has been described by way ofillustration only, and such illustrations and embodiments as have beendisclosed herein are not to be construed as limiting to the claims.

1. A packaging machine for packaging products, the packaging machinecomprising: a grid section; and means for feeding the products to saidgrid section without having line pressure between the products.
 2. Apackaging machine for packaging a product, the packaging machinecomprising: an infeed section, said infeed section includes a conveyorbelt having a first end and a second end; a grid section locatedadjacent to said infeed section, said grid section includes: a pluralityof lane guides, said plurality of lane guides being spaced apart to forma plurality of lanes, said plurality of lanes includes an appropriatenumber of lanes to fill a case and a spare lane; a support devicelocated at said plurality of lanes; a shifting assembly attached to saidplurality of lane guides; a sensor mounted adjacent to said plurality oflanes; and a controller in electronic communication with said shiftingassembly and said conveyor belt, wherein said first end of said conveyorbelt extends beneath one of said plurality of lanes, said first end ofsaid conveyor belt moves to each said plurality of lanes, said conveyorbelt delivers the product to each of said plurality of lanes.
 3. Thepackaging machine of claim 2, wherein said support device is a supportstrip, said support strip being located at each of said plurality oflanes and is located beneath said movable conveyor belt, said supportstrip supports the product.
 4. The packaging machine of claim 2, whereinsaid support device is a bladder pair mounted to each of said pluralityof lane guides.
 5. The packaging machine of claim 2, further comprisinga spacing mechanism disposed at said second end of said moveableconveyer belt.
 6. The packaging machine of claim 5, wherein said spacingmechanism includes a screw.
 7. The packaging machine of claim 5, whereinsaid spacing mechanism includes a side belt assembly.
 8. A method forpackaging a case with products, the method comprising feeding theproducts to a grid section without having line pressure between theproducts.